Brake beam



Nov. 27, 1923. 1,475,280 S. A. CRONE BRAKE BEAM 1 Filed May 3, 1921 24- 25 INVENTOR ATTOIY'RINEYM Patented Nov. 27, 1923..

warren stares SETH-A. ononn, or nasr ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

BRAKE BEAM.

' Application filed May 3,

T0 aZZ whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, SETH A. CRoNn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brake Beams, of which the following is a specification.

The'invention has reference more particularly to trussed brake-beams and to a four point suspension therefor, the features constituting the four point suspension consisting, in addition to the customary hangers at the ends of the compression member of the beam, two tramway-bars secured to the 'springplank of the car-truck and extending upwardly and outwardly at opposite sides of the vertical plane of the strut or brakelever post, below and at a suitable angle to directly receive, support and-guide the trussrod, at its end portions, during the movement of the brake-beam so as to assure a correct positioning of the brake-beam and maintain a concentric relation of the working faces of the shoes to the car wheels both in the service application of said shoes tothe wheels and their release therefrom under all conditions as to the wear of either the shoes or wheels or both thereof.

The tramway-bars are of special construction and designed to directly receive the end portions of the truss-rod and act efliciently in cooperation with the usual brake-beam hangers, in maintaining the beam in correct 1 position for operation. The tramway-bars,

in accordance with my invention, afford guides on which the truss-rod may freely and directly ride in a direction toward or from the wheels and also laterally, there being no fixed connection between the bars and brake-beam and the beamitself not requiring modification or addition by the pres- 1921. Serial 116. 466,609.

beam. Preferably the outer end portions of the tramway-bars are convexed upwardly to receive the circular surfaces of the trussrod, thus: providing for minimum contact frictional surfaces during the movements of the brake-beam and assuring ease of move ment in the beam and quick response of the beam to the power designedto move it. The

upwardly convexing of the guiding surfaces of the tramway-bars presents the further advantage of preventing the truss-rod from engaging and riding on the angular corners of the tramway-bars which, due to the angular lines of said rod, the truss rod would do if the guiding surfaces of the bars were on the same horizontal plane as the inner ends of said bars. invention therefore is t-o'provide against the wear of the truss-rod on or against the angular corner side edges of the tramway-bars, and this result I may accomplish in either of two constructions, as hereinafter explained.

The tramway-bars are free at their outer ends and are capable of limited yielding action under the brake-beams, and said bars will preferably be formed of plate metal.

The invention will be fully understood from the detailed description herein-after presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a top view, partly broken away, of a" car-truck frame and brake-beam embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the same taken on the dotted line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 2 illustrates one of the brake-beam hangers and by solid and dotted lines re spectively denotes the positioning of the brake-beam and the application of the brake shoes to the wheels under conditions indicating respectively no appreciable wear on either the wheels or shoes and in this instance the shoe being shown by dotted lines 7 I One object of the,

end of the strut to the ends of the beam or compression member 12, on which ends, as usual, are brake-heads 15 carrying shoes 16 and adapted for suspension by swiveled hangers 117. There is commonly abrakebeam at each side of the spring plank and each beam is suspended at the brake-heads by two hangers 117. My invention provides for each beam two additional means of suspension and hence thereby each beam has a four-point suspension. It has heretofore been usual to provide trussed brake-beams with a third suspension, and the characteristics and benefits of a third suspension for these beams is sufficiently described in lPatent No. 543,703 granted ll. l3. liobisching July 30, 1895. A four-point suspension for trussed brake-beams has also hereto been well known, and an example of a prior art fourpoint suspension is shown and described in Letters-Patent No. 567, l28 granted September 8, 1896 to H. C. Williamson. One of the purposes of a four-point suspension is to secure certain benefits beyond those attained by a third suspension and to assure a position of the brake-shoe both on its service application and release which shall be con centric with the car wheel under all conditions as to wear of either the shoe or wheel or both thereof.

My invention embodies certain improve ments in the character of four-point suspension suggested in the patent of H. C. lVilliamson No. 567,428, and itis directed more particularly, with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, to the tramway supporting and guiding bars 17 which I secure to the spring-plank 10 at opposite sides of the vertical plane of the strut or post 14; and which incline upwardly their end portions and directly receive and afford supports for the end portions of the truss-rods 18 of the brake-beams ll; hung at opposite sides of the spring-plank. I only indicate in the drawings one brakebeam and hence only show one end portion of the tramway-bars 17, the other brakebeam and the other end portion of the bars 17 being identical therewith. The bars 17 are durable metal bars which are free at their outer ends and capable of limited yielding action, and said bars are flat at their middle ortions where they are riveted or bolted to the spring plank and adjacent to the sides of said plank saidbars are bent upwardly, as at 18 (Fig. 2), and thence incline upwardly and outwardly on a straight line and at a suitable angle "to extend below and directly receive the truss-rod 13. The trussrod is circular in cross-section, and the upper outer portions of the tramway-bars l? are preferably convened upwardly, as at 19, so as to present a rounder surface to the rounded surface of the truss-rod during all the movements of said rod, thus presenting limited frictional surfaces to said rod and shielding the angular or corner side edges of the bar from said rod. The upwardly convexed surfaces of the bars 1? are also important in the matter securing adequate strength in the bar without undue thickness thereof and in permitting the beam as a whole to quickly respond to power intended V to move it. The shielding of the corner edges of the bars 17 from the trussrod is' important in avoiding that wear on the rod which would take place, due to its angular lines of direction, if the upper portions of the bars 17 were flat and in a horizontal plane the same as their lower portions are. The tramway-harsl? are thus of special design to meet special conditions and they are effective in point suspension serving to properly guide and position the brakeehoes and compensate for wear on the shoes or car-wheel 20 or both thereof and avoidingthe necessity of any change in or addition to the brake-beam. The bars 1'? permit not only the movement of the brake-beam toward and f om the carwheels but also, without binding, such lateral movement of the beam as may be necessary.

The short upward bend 18 in the bars 17 is near the spring-plank 10 and affords t vo .curved points 21, 22 in near relation to each other but out of the same vertical plane which serve as an efiicient and durable fulooiut for the outer portion of said bars ."1 such yielding ac have imparted to them in actual service.

in 3 ant fication of my 't amway-bars in that in lieu of the uniforn'ily convened. in Fig. l, l form the conv :rity nearer to'one edge of the bar, 23, and allow one side portion of the bar to project downwardly to a correspondingly greater extent, as at 24-, thereby increasing the stiffness end portion of the bar.

In Figs. 5 and 6 l illustrate a further i 4; 1 illustrate a slightmodil sin face 19snewn of the outer providing a desirable four- Ill) ions as they may modification for mytramway-bars, the modification in this instance consisting in inclinlateral direction the riding on the sharp angular corner edges of the bar during any portion of its movement. If the upper portion of the bars 17 were flat and horizontal the-truss-rod, due to its angular lines of direction, would ride on the corner edges of the bars, and to shield these corner edges from the truss-rod is one of the urposes of my .invention, and this object I attain in the upwardly convexed construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive and in the laterally inclined or deflected construction shown in Figs. Sand 6. I prefer the upwardly conveXed construc tions shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, because, among other reasons, theypresent minimum surfaces to the truss-rod. The construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6, would involve the use of right and left bars, since the upper ends of the barswould have to be oppositely deflected to meet the diverging angular lines of the end portions of the truss-rod. In the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the bars 17 would all be exactly alike, and this is a feature of advantage in manufacture and installation.

My invention renders it practicable to provide an efficient four-point suspension for trussed brake-beams requiring no change in or addition to the beam and in which the opposite end portions of the truss-rod may properly be supported by and directly engage and ride on tramway-bars secured to the spring-plank of the truck and being free at their outer portions and having no fixed connection with the brake-beam, and to accomplish that object was the purpose of m invention.

W at I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. In a car-truck having a spring-plank and a trussed brake-beam supported at its ends by hangers, in combination, tramwaybars secured to the spring-plank and thence inclining upwardly and outwardly below the end portions of the truss-rod and being free at their outer ends and directly receiving and serving as guides for said rod, said bars-along their portions engaged by the truss-rod, having their inner longitudinal side portions turned downwardly to thereby shield the rod from riding on the corner side edges of the bars.

2. In a cartruck having a spring-plank V and a trussed brake-beam supported at its ends by hangers, in combination, tramwaybars secured to the spring-plank and thence inclining upwardly and outwardly below the end portions of the truss-rod and being free at their outer ends and directly receiving and serving as guides for said rod, said bars having adjacent to the spring plank an upward and forward fulcrum bend and thence inclining upwardly and out-' wardly on straight lines, and said bars along their portions engaged by the truss-rod, having their inner longitudinal side portion turned downwardly to thereby shield the rod from riding on the corner side edges of the bars.

3. In a car-truck'having a spring-plank and a trussed brake-beam supported at its ends by hangers, in combination, tramwaybars secured to the spring-plank and thence inclining upwardly and outwardly below the end portions of the truss-rod and being free at their outer ends and directly receiving and serving as guides for said rod, said bars being fiat at their lower portions and at their upper portions engaged by the truss-rod, having their inner longitudinal side portions turned downwardly to thereby said bars in their upper portions having upwardly convexed transverse surfaces for engagement with said rod.

5. In a car-truck havinga spring-plank and a trussed brake-beam supported at its ends by hangers, in combination, tramwaybars secured to the spring-plank and thence inclining upwardly and outwardly below the end portions of the truss-rod and being free at their outer ends and directly receiving and serving as guides for said rod, said bars being of plate metal and fiat at their lower portions and converted upwardly at their upper portions to present transversely rounded surfaces to the truss-rod.

6. In a car-truck having a spring-plank and a trussed brake-beam supported at its ends by hangers, in combination, tramwaybars secured to the spring-plank and thence inclining upwardly and outwardly below the end portions of the truss-rod andbeing free at their outer ends and directly receiving and serving as. guides for said rod, said bars being fiat'at their lower portions and adjacent tothe spring-plank having an upward and forward bend and thence inclining upwardly straight lines, and the upper portions of said bars having upwardly conveXed transand outwardly on verse surfaces for engagement with said rod.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 

